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Preservice Teachers Map Compassion: Connecting Social Studies and Literacy Through Nonfictional Animal Stories

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Abstract

Nonfiction stories of animal compassion were used in this literacy-social studies integrated lesson to address both efferent and aesthetic stances in transmediation of text from picture books to maps. Preservice early childhood and elementary teachers chose places from the nine recent children’s stories, symbolizing them on a map while completing other map elements such as legend, index, title, and compass rose. Compassion and social-emotional skills were woven into the project by representing the affective tone of story events at various places through choice of place name adjectives. A social studies extension included analysis of how the five themes of geography were depicted on the map. Synopses of the books, one map made by first graders, and three preservice teacher-made maps, along with efferent and aesthetic elements and examples of geography themes from the maps are included. Suggestions for implementation and extension of the lesson with early elementary students are provided.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Curriculum and Instruction, 618 Schindler Education Center, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA, 50614-0606, USA

    Audrey C. Rule, Sarah E. Montgomery & Sarah M. Vander Zanden

Authors
  1. Audrey C. Rule
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  2. Sarah E. Montgomery
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  3. Sarah M. Vander Zanden
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Correspondence to Audrey C. Rule.

Appendix: Other True Stories of Animal Friendship

Appendix: Other True Stories of Animal Friendship

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  • Thimmesh, C. (2011). Friends: True Stories of Extraordinary Animal Friendships. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

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Rule, A.C., Montgomery, S.E. & Vander Zanden, S.M. Preservice Teachers Map Compassion: Connecting Social Studies and Literacy Through Nonfictional Animal Stories. Early Childhood Educ J 42, 219–230 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-013-0597-2

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